Lead singer Freddie Mercury defied stereotypes, played by his own rules. And yet, he became one of the most loved entertainers on the planet.

Despite the band's incredible success Mercury's life was a struggle. Drugs, loneliness, and HIV Aids that eventually led to his death. But, in true Queen style, he went out with a bang.

With a new film, also called Bohemian Rhapsody, set to tell the story The Project host Josh Thomson flew to Sydney to find out from Rami Malek what it took to become Freddie Mercury.

"I worked meticulously with a movement coach and we just spent time figuring out everything about him," Malek said.

"The nuances of how he carried himself day to day, during an interview, how he got out of a car, tiny things like that and then eventually evolving to how he moves on stage and that changes from the 70s to the 80s."

Malek said before the film his favourite thing about Queen was the fact they were hard to pin down, and since filming he's been thinking about the meaning of their songs more.

"They're all so smart, the four of those guys, they were all songwriters, they're all incredible musicians, I mean Brian [May] can play almost anything, and then he's also an astrophysicist," he said.

"He incorporates time travel into some of his songs, listen to the song '39' and try to figure it out."